Presence of fentanyl in marijuana becoming more common in Racine area, police say

RACINE — The Racine Police Department is warning the public that there has been an increased presence of fentanyl, an incredibly deadly opioid, in locally recovered marijuana, a drug that it is virtually impossible to overdose from.

An alert on the RPD’s Facebook page Friday said “Dear Citizens of Racine,

“We the Racine Police Department, do not condone the consumption or sales of illegal narcotics. But, if you were to find yourself in possession of such, we want you to be as safe as possible. Currently, the City of Racine is seeing a spike of illegal narcotics laced with fentanyl, including but not limited to, marijuana. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is extremely dangerous. Drug traffickers will often mix fentanyl and weed together, due to it being a cheap way of manufacturing their product. We care about the citizens of Racine, and we don’t want more overdoses. Please make good decisions and be safe!”

Earlier this year, fentanyl test strips became legalized in Wisconsin, allowing drug users to test their product for the presence of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid believed to be at least 50 times deadlier than morphine.

Racine County distributes fentanyl test kits for free. Visit bit.ly/3HwnfMA or call the Opioid Resource Hotline at 262-638-6375 to learn more.

Photos: High times for marijuana sales, delivery

California marijuana

A customer who wished to remain unidentified wears a mask while shopping at The Green Cross cannabis dispensary in San Francisco on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. As about 7 million people in the San Francisco Bay Area are under shelter-in-place orders, only allowed to leave their homes for crucial needs in an attempt to slow virus spread, marijuana stores remain open and are being considered “essential services.” (AP Photo/Haven Daley)